by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June is not only their shared nightmare but also an undeniable truth, one that led to a subsequent loss in Game 7 against the Miami Heat and the championship trophy slipping so painfully out of their grasp. But when Green was asked recently if they feel like the unofficial champs, the team that seemed to win it all without actually winning it all, he offered a window into the Spurs and the way they see their world.

"You guys exposed‚?¶" the reporter's assertion about the Heat began.

Green, with a grin, interrupted and finished the sentence: "‚?¶a lot of their weaknesses."

The relentless Spurs are still coming, alright, and it's not just the Heat that they have in their sights. Their 7-1 record thus far has come in buzzsaw fashion, with San Antonio slicing through the likes of Memphis, the Lakers, Denver, Phoenix, Golden State, New York and Philadelphia while losing only a road game at Portland. And as Green made clear, their strong start has come amid this cloud of disappointment that never truly went away.

"It's not easy, man," he told USA TODAY Sports. "I feel like every day, every game that we have now, you'd think (those Finals memories) would go away. But it's always lingering there. Even with the little mistakes, the subtle mistakes here and there, you (think) back to the mistakes that we made in June‚?¶We feel like we're preparing for that now, which is good, and I think it's going to help us."

It's early, of course, but the fact that the Spurs are surging while so many fellow contenders are sputtering would seem to substantiate Green's claim. Those haunting flashbacks appear to be helping the Spurs more than hurting them, and it certainly doesn't hurt that their championship-level formula is intact either.

The trusty trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are back for what is their 12th season together, this after Ginobili re-signed as a free agent on a two-year, $14 million deal during the summer. Kawhi Leonard is still seen as the resident star of the future and the Spurs' small forward answer to foes like LeBron James, Paul George and the like. Center Tiago Splitter, who re-signed on a four-year, $36 million deal as a free agent, is the necessary and capable big body who plays alongside Duncan.

Reserve small forward Boris Diaw ‚?? 'Scorin' Boris' as they're calling the free-agent-to-be now ‚?? is looking like a new man as he is averaging 10.3 points per game thus far. And Green, of course, is one of the many two-way threats that make the Spurs so tough.

Yet Green's story is symbolic of theirs, really, and one the Heat would be well advised to take heed of. Never mind that Green was a star when the spotlight was brightest in the Finals, his leash remains short with coach Gregg Popovich because this is the place where even the future Hall of Famers have to prove themselves every day. The sharpshooter who broke the record for three-pointers in the Finals against the Heat has been reminded yet again this season that what happened in the past means very little in the present.

It took Green a while to look like himself again, but ‚?? with free agent addition Marco Bellinelli on hand now to gobble up his minutes if he doesn't perform to Popovich's liking ‚?? he is once again the key cog he was five months ago. After scoring a combined 14 points (on 6 of 23 shooting) and averaging 21.3 minutes in the first four games, Green has scored at least 18 points in three of the past four games while seeing his field-goal percentage spike from 26 to 48.3 in that span.

"You have everybody back, so I figured (that) not much would change (about his role)," Green said. "But some things have changed. Pop's Pop. He does things the way he does them, and you can't predict anything, so you have to roll with however it is he wants things done. You've got to adjust.

"He's obviously trying to make me better than what I am. He's picking things here and there for me to work on, wanting me to work on them and get them done faster, better, to have better habits, which is why my leash is not as long as you'd expect it to be. But it's part of the game, part of the business. And if you want to be successful here, you've got to roll with it."

His situation has underscored the reality of playing for Popovich: in his system, in his culture, there is ‚?? 14 consecutive 50-win seasons be darned ‚?? no time for resting on old laurels. Gleaning strength from past failures, however, is certainly acceptable.

"I think we are going to move forward from (the Finals memories), but it's not easy," Green said. "It doesn't happen overnight. It was a quick turnaround for us (because) June wasn't too long ago. I think that's something that you probably won't forget forever‚?¶Everybody is kind of feeling it."

Are they ever.

"Last year (was about) knowing our potential, about knowing what we can do," Diaw said. "We talked about (the Finals) in the preseason. We watched film of last year and what we didn't do right. So, yeah, we talk about it.

"And yeah, it was close. But when you don't have it, you don't have it. And you have to work to get it. It's not easy‚?¶We're just all focused in and ready to go back for one more year."